The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Publication Date: January 2, 2012 by Poppy/Little Brown

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Goodreads Summary:

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.

My thoughts:

Hadley Sullivan missed her flight by four minutes. While waiting for the next flight scheduled, she met Oliver and the fun (I mean the feels) started.

I’ve been wanting to read this book since I saw its cover. But I never had the chance to buy it, until that day at the mall with my family. We were on a family vacation in Thailand, and we dropped by a book store. I saw this book, the one last stock available there, and asked my Dad if I could have it.

He said yes.

And it wasn’t until we got inside the airport that I realized it: I was in an airport. And I was reading a story that started in an airport.

Can you feel the power of fate there? I can. I certainly can. I was meant to read this book.

A week before I started reading this book, I saw a post on Ate Hazel’s blog. It talked about active reading. I hesitated for a while, but in the end, I decided to do it. I wrote on the book. I wrote a lot, actually. I underlined words, phrases, and sentences. I wrote on the margins. And honestly? It felt good. I felt like I was one with the book.

While reading it, I kept on thinking about someone. Most of my notes were about that person, and maybe that’s why the book became so special to me. Imagine, I was on page 55 when I wrote this note: “I’m only at this point but I already feel that this is one special book.”

It’s just so amazing, you know. It’s like Jennifer knew where to hit me: my heart. So much feels because of fate and destiny made me fall in love. With the characters and the story itself.

I like Oliver so much. He’s witty (the whiskey!) and humorous (the seat belt on the whiskey!) and a true gentleman. But aside from the Oliver that he showed to everyone, I also got to see the Oliver that was hidden within his smiles. The part where he talked about his family, particularly his father, struck me. And at the latter part of the story, it struck me harder.

I also like that old lady who, somehow, sparked the whole thing. One of her quotes went like this: “I wouldn’t call it amazing. It’s easy when you find the right person.”

Hadley became a better person as the story progressed, and I like that, because I believe that she should really be mature enough to understand the situation. In that way, things would be better for everyone.

With all the swoony feels and lines that would totally make you feel that love is the strangest, most illogical thing in the world, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight is a great book for those who believe in destiny–and perfect– for those who don’t.

[Why? Don’t ask me. Just read the book, and let the magic begin.]

***

Quotes:

In the end, it’s not the changes that will break your heart; it’s that tug of familiarity.

This is the first quote that I made a note on. I remembered someone upon reading this, so yeah. It’s so true anyway.

She spent so much energy dreading this trip that she hadn’t been prepared for the possibility that something good might come out of it, too, something unexpected.

I made a note on this quote because it emphasizes on the possibilities that we have. Infinite. Who would have thought that missing a flight could lead you to a man that you’re gonna fall in love with, right?

You can’t survive a rift that big without it leaving a mark.

A quote about pain, and dealing with it. Of course, painful moments leave a mark, and usually, marks come with a lesson or two. I believe in that.

“I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective.”

-Oliver

That quote by Oliver got to me. I couldn’t agree more, you know. It’s all a matter of perspective. Take this book for example. I might be the only one seeing the book in this way. It could also happen the other way around. People have different ways of seeing things, and this is how I saw the book.

…a tortured longing, a misguided wish that made her heart hammer in her chest. She couldn’t ignore the disjointed sensation that they were now two different pieces of two different puzzles, and nothing in the world could make them fit together again.

This must be one of the most heart-breaking quotes that I’ve ever read. (Or is it just because I thought of someone?)

But though she’s told a longer version of the story a thousand times before to a thousand different people, she gets the feeling that Oliver might understand better than anyone else.

I just felt that I needed to underline this quote because I can really relate to it. (Can you?)

“Parents aren’t always right about everything. Sometimes it just takes a while to figure that out.”

-Hadley

This quote is true. No one is perfect, even our parents who love us so much. Times when the kid is right and the parents are wrong exist, people. But please, don’t misunderstand. I did not put this quote here for you guys to be rebels (well not really rebels, but you know what I mean) and rub those words on their faces (I mean, that’s totally disrespectful and rude). I made a note on this quote because I want you to understand this: The core of our parents is love.

They do everything because they love us. There are just times when they make mistakes. Maybe because they overlooked something, or missed a detail that would have changed the way they did things. But we shouldn’t let their mistakes define them.

The key to making things a lot easier for both parents and children? Open communication. Don’t be afraid to tell your parents about what’s new in your life, or how your day went. Trust me, they like it so much when they feel that you trust them with your thoughts. In that way, your parents will be aware of the real situation, and most likely, they would make the best decisions.

Love your parents okay? They might not always be right, but they will always, and forever, love you. ❤

Maybe–just maybe–it’s something even kinder than that, something full of understanding, a seal on the unspoken agreement between them that something is happening here, that this just might be a kind of beginning.

The feels. The feels are just…so…you know. (You know that kind of time when you can’t explain something? That time is like, now.)

There’s always that tiny piece of hope that this day–your day–will be the one to turn out differently.

This is a wonderful quote about hope, you know.

***

My favorite quote:

“Love is the strangest, most illogical thing in the world.”

-Andrew/Kate

Hadley’s parents. ❤ It’s sad that they had to separate, but I guess that’s just how things work for some people. They’re both happy with their new lives. What’s important is that neither of them abandoned Hadley. Andrew and Kate will forever be Hadley’s parents, and this quote will forever be in my list of the many definitions of love. ❤

***

My rating:

Cover: 5/5, I so love how the cover suggested something that would give me the feels. I love feels!

Title and/or Tagline: 5/5, Do I need to explain? 🙂

First Part: 4.5/5, I love how the first part made me want to continue so bad.

Midpoint: 4/5, I somehow got a bit bored at the middle. (Because I want to see Oliver again, that is.)

Ending: 5/5, Just. Perfect.

Lesson/s: 4.5/5, This book did not only focus on the love story of Hadley and Oliver. It also talked about their families. The lessons were presented in a way that made me think, and I love that.

Character Development: 4/5, I saw how Hadley changed her opinion towards Charlotte, and I admire her for that. Acceptance is really important, and I’m glad that Hadley realized what she had to do.

Uniqueness of the Plot: 4.5/5, Yeah, love at first sight seemed to be very mainstream, but the statistical probability of love at first sight truly isn’t. I never thought about that, until I saw this book.

Overall Impact: 4.5/5

***

Bonus Points: 3/5, It ranked 8th on my “Books that Mean a Lot to Me” shelf on Goodreads.

***

FINAL RATING: 4.56/5

***

My bookish songs for The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight are:

Enchanted by Taylor Swift

I chose this song because it’s about the wonder of meeting someone that you eventually fell for.

“This is me praying that this was the very first page, not where the story line ends. My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again. These are the words I held back as I was leaving too soon, I was enchanted to meet you…”

It Might Be You by Stephen Bishop

I already finished recording for Enchanted before I wrote this review. But while writing this, particularly while typing the quote with the maybes. Yeah, Hadley may not be waiting for Oliver her entire life, but I felt that this song would be perfect for that moment when Oliver asked her to dance. Maybe she was asking herself: Should I even consider falling for this guy when I’ve only known him for 24 hours?

And then maybe she’d answer: That wasn’t even a question in the first place, because I already fell for him.

Me: *flails*

“Something’s telling me it might be you, all of my life…”

***

Final Words:

Love is indeed, the strangest, most illogical thing in the world. But I fell in it anyway. And I don’t regret anything.

10 thoughts on “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith”

“..would totally make you feel that love is the strangest, most illogical thing in the world”
I also felt the same thing when I was reading this book. I loved it and the way Jennifer writes. Just beautiful.
I liked the way you rated each part of the book and explained your thoughts. I always wanted to do the same thing but I’m afraid I might spoil (I couldn’t help it).
And the songs! I love Taylor Swift so I’m pretty happy to see her music here. I didn’t even realized until now the appropriateness of Enchanted to this book.
Great review! 🙂
P.S It’s also cool that you read this while in the airport. I bet you had the feels 200% more. It’s like 3D! 😀

Thank you for this review! I’ve been having mixed thoughts on whether I should buy the book or just read it in ebook since one of my friends told me she didn’t like “This is What Happy Looks Like”, which kind of gave me bad points for Jennifer Smith. But now, I’m glad I haven’t read it on ebook yet because I think I might just go try to buy a physical copy so I can read it better! 🙂 I’m excited to read this since I’m a sucker for romance and a firm believer in destiny 🙂